The present invention relates to wireless technology. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of smart antennas and diversity techniques for improving the quality of the transmitted and/or received communication to facilitate selection of the better quality signal.
Transmitters and receivers of wireless systems typically employ a single antenna which may be preferred from a cost viewpoint. However, multiple antenna arrays have also been employed which have been found to provide certain cost/benefit features. It is nevertheless highly desirable to provide a capability of selecting the antenna receiving (or in the alternative transmitting) the signal having the best quality.
The present invention, in one embodiment, is characterized by providing techniques and apparatus for monitoring signals received by each antenna in a multi-antenna array to determine signal quality, and to select the better quality signal for processing. Monitoring of signal quality continues throughout the reception period in order to provide the capability of altering the selection of the signal chosen for processing whenever such a change is again warranted. Some of the techniques described herein are usable for both uplink and downlink applications.